California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project

Authors: Rebecca Bergey, Marcela Movit, Ashley Simpson Baird, and Ann-Marie FariaProduced by the American Institutes for Research, March 2018.The American Institutes for Research addresses how the growing English Language Learner (ELL) population in higher education is served and the challenges it presents given the vast array of student needs. Three student profiles exemplify the broad categories generally used to classify the ELL higher education population: international students, recent immigrants. or Generation 1.5 students. and the diversity within each group. Given the wide range of needs for students to meet their educational or occupational goals successfully, the paper outlines institutional and classroom level considerations by defining challenges, reviewing best practices, and suggesting ways to leverage technology.

Produced by U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, 2016Designed to support effective instruction of adult English language learners, this document presents a set of correspondences to the college and career readiness standards (CCRS) for English language arts/literacy, mathematical and science practices.

Critical thinking is an essential skill found in both the College and Career Readiness Standards and the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education. Critical thinking skills are needed in every facet of our lives, and in particular as we are inundated with more information from a variety of dependable and undependable sources. This online workshop series will prepare you to include a variety of critical thinking strategies in your adult education classes. It is presented in three 1.5 hour webinars. Registration information*: Registration for these sessions is now closed. Scheduled session dates and times are as follows: Session 1: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMSession 2: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMSession 3: Tuesday, May 13, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM*Please note: Registering for Session 1 automatically registers you for Session 2 and 3. Certificate of Completion will reflect hours attended. 

How can you prepare your learners to succeed in the workforce? Find out what employers say are essential skills for today's workforce. This series shows you how to connect transferable skills in the classroom to the workplace. There are two sessions; each session is broken into two parts (4 webinars total). This series will provide background on skills transferable from the classroom to the workplace and to teach students how to articulate those skills.  Registration information: This event is not currently scheduled. Registration will become available once this topic is scheduled. 

Hosted by Escondido Adult School from 09/02/2024 to10/20/2024Description:How can we facilitate the two-way process of immigrant integration through adult immigrant students’ participation in civic and community activities? Our community benefits from the cultural, social, and economic contributions of immigrants. As well, adult students’ engagement in their community supports their sense of belonging and the development of practical skills. Sign up for the upcoming Community of Practice (CoP) on Supporting Immigrant Integration through Civics Education at Escondido Adult School. This CoP incorporates both Face-to-Face collaborative work and asynchronous activities on Moodle.The training is designed for instructors teaching adult English language Learners (learners may be in ABE, ASE, ESL, etc.). The training will help educators support immigrants through civics education as understood within the lens of the California Immigrant Integration Initiative and aligned to approved EL Civics metrics. Participants will learn about the Immigrant Integration Framework, explore the resources from the Teaching Skills That Matter in Adult Education (TSTM) project, and gain skills to better support their immigrant students in their classrooms and programs.This CoP takes place on Moodle and at Escondido Adult School and runs for six consecutive weeks, from 09/02/2024 to10/20/2024. Weekly participation is required, though participants may, during a given week, log in whenever they wish.As part of this community of practice, a three-hour face-to-face workshop will be offered on Wednesday, September 18th, 5-8 pm, and a second workshop will be on Wednesday, October 2: 5-8 pm at Escondido Adult School.Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate of participation (16 hours).Goals :The goal of this community of practice is to enable instructors to 1) understand the California immigrant integration context, and 2) plan instruction that supports immigrant integration by aligning to the objectives of the Participation in Civics and Community Life Goal area of the Immigrant Integration Framework, using the Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM) lessons and tools, and pre-approved COAAPS.Registration Information :There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees. This training is hosted by Escondido Adult School. Participants from neighboring districts or regions may be admitted on a space-available basis. The registration deadline is Thursday, August 29, 2024. Notification of acceptance will occur by Monday, September 2, 2024. Training begins in Moodle on Monday, September 2, and ends on Sunday, October 20.Contact Information :Please contact Sachiko Oates at soates@air.org.

Course Description:This course takes place entirely online and runs for four consecutive weeks. Weekly participation is required, though participants may, during a given week, log in whenever they wish. A kick-off Webinar will take place in the first week; the date and time will be announced and posted. This course is intended to (1)build teachers’ capacity to identify the skills and knowledge required for excellent teaching as presented in the Adult Education Teacher Competencies, (2) evaluate in which areas participants are strong and in which areas professional development could support improvement, and (3) plan for increasing effectiveness of instruction. Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate of participation (14 hours); they are also eligible to apply to CSUS for 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) if they wish.Goals:By the end of the course participants will be able to: • Explain the background and rationale for Adult Education Teacher Competencies • Recognize performance indicators in practice • Create a sample illustration related to a specific program area • Identify the competencies from domains 1 and 3 in practice • Relate selected competencies to classroom practice • Create an initial professional development goalRegistration Information:There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees.Contact Information:Please contact calpro@air.org with any questions.

Hosted by MVLA Adult SchoolData-informed instruction empowers educators to make evidence-based decisions and positively impact student outcomes. Effective planning involves aligning instructional goals with student needs identified through data analysis. Critical questions we ask include (a) What do we want students to learn? (b) How will we know if they have learned it? (c) What will we do if they don’t learn it? (d) What will we do if they already know it? In this introductory workshop, participants will review how to build assessments to measure outcomes and investigate data types needed to find trends and gaps.The second part of the session focuses on inclusive teaching strategies to address the outcome gaps. Participants will walk away with evidence-based instructional strategies. Participants may choose one of the strategies to incorporate into their classroom routine and design a lesson plan using backward design.

Course Description:Are you frustrated at not getting the right answers from your students? Maybe it's because you're not asking the right questions! This course offers questioning strategies that foster higher-order thinking skills while developing responses beyond the level of recall. Help students connect the dots as they process new information to answer questions designed with a purpose. This course takes place entirely online and runs for four consecutive weeks. Weekly participation is required, though participants may, during a given week, log in whenever they wish. A kick-off Webinar will take place in the first week and one additional webinar will take place in the third week; details will be posted in the course. Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate of participation (14 hours); they are also eligible to apply to CSUs for 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) if they wish.Goals:This online professional learning opportunity is intended to encourage instructors to ask questions that promote learners’ thinking beyond the level of recall of information and that allow learners to adequately process information and respond to the instructors’ requests.Registration Information:There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees.Contact Information:Please contact calpro@air.org with any questions.

Workshop Description :Plan and deliver effective lessons! This course takes participants step by step through the process of lesson design and provides an opportunity to learn up-to-date strategies for planning lessons for adult learners using the WIPPEA stages, creating learning objectives. Using the information and skills taught in this course, participants will find that lesson planning becomes a quick, easy process. This course takes place entirely online and runs for one week. Daily participation is required, though participants may, during a given week, log in whenever they wish. A kick-off Webinar will take place in the first day and the date and time will be announced and posted. Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate of participation (4.5 hours).Goals :The goal of this CALPRO course is to provide teachers with a model for designing effective lesson plans.Registration Information :There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees. This course is currently at capacity. Waitlisted participants will be notified regarding their enrollment status by Friday, January 31, 2025. Contact Information :Please contact calpro@air.org with any questions.

Course Description :How do you meet the needs of ESL students in a class with skill levels ranging from beginning to intermediate to advanced? This course presents strategies for planning lessons for learners of widely varying language skills. This course takes place entirely online and runs for four consecutive weeks. Weekly participation is required, though participants may, during a given week, log in whenever they wish. A 1-hour, kick-off Webinar will take place in the first week; the date will be announced via email the Friday before the course begins. Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate of participation (14 hours); they are also eligible to apply to CSUS for 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) if they wish.Goals :The goal of this workshop is to help participants develop skills in managing the ESL multi-level class.Registration Information :There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees.Contact Information :Please contact calpro@air.org with any questions.